


Different Day, Same FOMO

by Zed_Zalias



Series: As Real as You Are [2]
Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Male Friendship, Self-Discovery, Sexual Confusion, Talking solves everything, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zed_Zalias/pseuds/Zed_Zalias
Summary: As far as Kai sees it, Valentine's Day isn't meant to be spent alone, and yet alone he is—again. He knows there's more to life than romantic love; he knows he shouldn't let this bother him. But it does. It's been nagging at him for weeks now, in fact. It doesn't help that his most recent attempt at romance wasn't exactly a smashing success (See: That one time when Kai was smitten with Vanessa even while she wanted to kill his team).As far as Adam sees it, he's failing his friend Kai. Kai has been really down lately—not just anxious in the way that he so often is, genuinely sad, thoroughly disheartened. He knows Kai is almost always in need of reassurance and affirmation, and he knows that usually comes from him. But he's been doing everything he can lately to make Kai feel more appreciated, so what gives? What more can he do? How can he help Kai?He decides to visit him on Valentine's Day—but totally just as a friend. Yeah. Totally. Just friends. Spending Valentine's Day together. Yeah.
Relationships: Adam/Kai (The Hollow)
Series: As Real as You Are [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813552
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	Different Day, Same FOMO

**Author's Note:**

> There's one very mild and general innuendo Mira mentions in front of Adam and a swear word or two, so I'm rating this as Teen just in case, but this story is very fluffy and innocent :)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented on the first Kaidam fic I wrote for this series! I loved seeing everyone's response to it. I always had more plans for this series—and I still have _much_ more elaborate things in mind—I've just been _insanely_ busy these past six months or so. Things are a lot lighter for me now, though, so... If the response to this series is positive, maybe this will move into some kind of Kaidam-centric AU "Season Three" extension, now that the series has been canceled and I'm free to explore all of my plot ideas without being afraid of contradicting the canon. Let me know what y'all think! I definitely have some ideas for a larger thing, and I've been laying the groundwork for them in the background plot details since the first fic, so I'm ready if you are ;)

Look, Kai was not ungrateful.

He loved his friends—really, he did! He knew they were special; he knew he was lucky to have them. He appreciated them more than words could express!

But it was Valentine's Day.

And he was, like, _really_ lonely.

He sighed and threw his controller to the other side of the bean bag chair, stretching out and leaning back to rest with his hands behind his head. The moonbeams shooting through the gaps between his blinds caught him by surprise as they cut across his body. Had he really been playing that long?

He'd been trying to drown his loneliness in video games for most of the day, but he hadn't realized it had gone on this long. It had been mostly fruitless in terms of making him feel less lonely since he was playing alone anyway.

The five of them who were more real than everyone else in this world had already had a lengthy group video call to celebrate the day, but they'd all been too busy to meet up in person—well, all of them except Kai.

Every one of them had a few things to do. Adam and Mira were going to the _Hollow Life_ virtual Valentine's Day school dance, which mimicked their _actual_ school dance pretty well, as a sort of tribute to the time they had actually gone together before Adam was out of the closet to anyone other than Mira—something to throw off the suspicion.

As a side note—Kai had a habit of his thoughts splintering off into other thoughts, branching out wildly like a mass of twisted brambles, racing down tangential paths before he made it back to whatever he had originally been trying to think about. _Wait,_ he thought, _I've gone and done it again!_

He snorted, attempting to ground himself. As a side note, now that his thoughts were on track again, it made him feel physically ill to imagine Adam being so afraid to be himself. He was glad Mira had been around to keep people from asking questions before Adam was ready to answer them, and he was glad Adam's family had ultimately been completely accepting, but it still made him nauseous to even imagine Adam panicking about it for months or years or however long that phase of his life had lasted. Kai hadn't ever asked.

Adam always seemed uncomfortable talking about his identity around Kai—not in a distressed way, but... Well, Kai had to assume it had something to do with what he'd told Kai a little over a half year before that... Something about worrying he'd make Kai uncomfortable because he'd done that to other straight male friends before by talking about it.

Which was, like, _really_ upsetting. Kai hated to hear that he'd ever had to worry about that. But... Oh, well... Kai couldn't just flip a magic switch and make Adam not be afraid of things he'd learned to be afraid of the hard way. He wished he could help, though.

Where was he again? Oh, right—everyone had something to do.

After the dance, Mira was making dinner for her dads and Miles, which was apparently another tradition and an excuse for her to show off her cooking skills. Adam was meeting a friend, but he wouldn't say who and was oddly cryptic in his presentation of the engagement, which only made Kai a little bit incredibly jealous.

Just a little bit.

A little bit incredibly jealous.

But he reminded himself that those kinds of thoughts weren't cool, that Adam was his own person, that Adam was allowed to have other friends... Yada yada. The essentials. And he really did believe all that stuff!

But he was still a little bit incredibly jealous.

It was a weird, primal reaction! It wasn't like he was actually mad Adam was spending time with someone else. It was just... A natural, unfiltered response. He did wonder, though—who could Adam even see?! It must have been an AI since the five of them were the only "real" people—or whatever they were, whatever "real" meant for a bunch of AIs—in _Hollow Life_ at this point. But why would he hang around with an AI when the differences between the five... Whatever-they-weres and the other, nonsentient AIs were so noticeable? Kai wasn't sure he could understand the appeal.

Sure, they hung around with their families—well, correction, the other four hung out with their parents; Kai hung out with his butler and wondered why _Hollow Life_ couldn't have been just a _teensy bit_ less realistic in its depiction of his family life. But that was the whole point, he supposed.

Anyway, Reeve and Vanessa were... Well, he was going to be honest—maybe they weren't busy. He didn't really know what they were doing. He knew they were going to a thrift shop; he knew that. He honestly would have been surprised if they wouldn't have allowed him to come along if he had asked. In fact, they might have even invited him if he hadn't made the dumb misstep of insisting on lying to everyone to tell them that he actually had lots of plans for the day.

 _"Oh, yeah, like... **So** many plans," _he'd told them.

He both cringed and laughed at his own image insecurities, the fact that he'd felt the need to look more popular than he was. It was funny. It was pathetic. It was many things at once. But Kai had always been that way; that was just his way of being.

So yes—truthfully, he wasn't sure what Reeve and Vanessa were doing, but he didn't really care much. He felt somewhat bad about that; after all, they were all supposed to be friends now. And they were! They got along well. But nothing would change the fact that what Vanessa and Reeve had lost the day they fought the snail was... Losing Skeet was different for them, his dear friends. It had changed them. They had a special understanding now, and they seemed to be able to communicate with their eyes alone. In all honesty, Kai was a bit weirded out by it. He understood it, though. At least, he understood it as much as he could from his position.

But they'd been quiet, conflicted. They always seemed tense. And, to be honest, Kai just felt a bit... Silly when he was around them. Like, all he'd ever been was ridiculous and playful and chaotic, and it almost didn't feel appropriate to act that way around them when they were still recovering from something so traumatic. Granted, people don't ever reach a point at which it's like the terrible trauma just never occurred—Oh, Kai knew that—but they hadn't even really moved out of the first stages of it yet. Kai felt guilty being too bubbly around them when they may have just not been ready for it yet.

But, all that seriousness aside, there was also the simple fact that Kai didn't know either of them. He _knew_ them, but he didn't... _Know_ them.

 _That doesn't make any sense, Kai!_ he chided himself.

But it did... To him, anyway.

They'd just never been that close. He hadn't known them in real life. At least, he hadn't known them beyond seeing them in the hallway or the yearbook.

If he really thought about it, life in _Hollow Life_ was just beginning to grate on him. Interaction with parents—or, in his case, Davis—felt... Fake to some degree; there were a finite amount of things to see and do; and the Beta Bubble prevented them from leaving the city—which got awkward when one of their parents suggested going on a trip somewhere, a feat that they had discovered was impossible when it had nearly broken the world in half.

Okay, Kai was exaggerating. All that happened was that Mira's dad got this blank look in his eyes and repeatedly drove the family car into an invisible wall at the edge of town. According to her, it was terrifying; it was one of those things that reminds a person they aren't in the real world and aren't with their real parents. Kai had nothing but sympathy for Mira. He could only imagine that to have been among the most traumatic experiences a person could have in the danger-free world of _Hollow Life._ But after some technical wizardry on Vanessa's part—she'd taken to tinkering with the game in her free time—they'd figured out a surefire way to reset the AIs whenever they came up with any problematic ideas like that.

But he was getting sidetracked again. The point was that there was only so much time he could spend in this place before he'd not _want_ to get out but _need_ to get out. Maybe Vanessa would someday be skilled enough at purposefully breaking the game to disable the Beta Bubble and allow them to journey into the wild, blue, presumably glitchy yonder.

That was the phrase, wasn't it?

Anyway, he'd been playing video games alone for hours, and he'd had enough of it. He was about to call his parents—wow, he must have been desperate—when the doorbell rang.

He heard Davis answer it as he squinted at his ceiling fan, wondering just who would be visiting him unannounced.

And then he heard the voice.

 _Adam's_ voice.

His face lit up with a grin as he raced down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet.

* * *

Look, something was up with Kai.

Something was up with Kai, and it was really concerning to Adam.

See, as far as Adam was concerned, Kai depended on him for a few things. Kai needed a few things from him.

Usually, Kai needed Adam to tell him that everything would be okay, that he would protect him, that he didn't need to worry.

But, lately, that hadn't been working. It hadn't been _enough._

 _Adam_ hadn't been enough.

At a certain point, Adam had just come to regard taking care of Kai as his duty. He did it gladly, of course, because he cared deeply about Kai after how much they'd been through together. He'd never forget the fact that Kai had _saved his life_ back in _The Hollow._ He supposed "taking care of Kai" wasn't the best phrase to use, though. He didn't want to imply even in his own private monologue that Kai was infantile or pathetic or that he needed "taking care of." Adam had seen time and time again that Kai was much stronger than anyone, including Kai himself, gave him credit for. He was resilient. He was principled. He was brave—well, when it really counted. He always stepped up when there were important things on the line. He always pushed forward toward victory with an iron resolve that seemed to form spontaneously and out of nowhere.

Adam admired that.

He could be fickle, he could be anxious to an unbelievable degree—but, when it counted, Kai was strong. Maybe stronger than Adam.

He wanted to help Kai develop those character traits if he could. It was getting hard to do when he was all mopey, though.

It had started about a week ago, and Adam wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to bring it up outright, but, at this point, he was running out of options. He'd already tried all the usual affirmation, the stuff that worked almost all the time.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Mira asked, smirking, something mischievous glinting in her eyes.

Adam blushed. "Hey, sorry," he replied, raising his arm just a little—he was already a bit taller—to let her twirl and swing towards him. "Yeah."

"You know, if I were _actually_ your date, I'd be getting jealous," she teased, stepping away from him to the rhythm of the music. "I mean, come on—during the _slow dance?!"_

Adam chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Some date _I_ am."

"Hey, it's fine," she assured him. "You're worried about him, and that's cute. I'd be worried too, but... I don't know. It's _Kai,_ you know? He's always... You know."

"Yeah, I know..." Adam murmured. "Still. It's just seemed worse lately. Maybe I should just ask him what's up... As much as I don't want to put him in an awkward position, I can't really help him if I don't know."

Mira's eyes shimmered, the corners of her lips twitching. "You know, it's not your _job_ to help him. You're not _obligated."_

"I know," Adam said. "But I want to."

Mira rolled her eyes, laughing at something Adam wasn't sure he'd picked up on. Before he could ask, she caught him by surprise, stretching and standing on her tiptoes to raise her hand above his head. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Hey, we don't have to subscribe to heterosexist bullshit, right?" she said, winking.

He laughed, remembering that none of the other students in this room were even _real_ in the same way that he and Mira were anyway. He accepted her offer, allowing her to twirl him and then swinging in to be held by her.

"Nice," she snorted. "You make a graceful follower every once in a while, but I definitely see you as more of a leader," she murmured, smirking slightly.

Adam looked at her quizzically before snorting and shaking his head. "Tell me this isn't some kind of ridiculous, contrived metaphor for—"

"Oh, it is," she assured him, giggling. "I'm not wrong though, am I?"

He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut, fires blazing on his cheeks all the way. "No, but _stop."_

"Come on, you'll be 18 in a few months—don't be so uptight!" she urged.

"Yeah, I know... Age doesn't really feel... Like anything, though," he muttered, looking off into the distance. "Since we're... Apparently not real. I guess I'm just wondering if our programming even lets us, like, _emotionally mature_ or not."

She shrugged. "We'll notice sooner or later if it's not happening, I guess. It's interesting to think about, though..." she looked pained for a second, opening her mouth and inhaling as if to speak, but Adam interrupted her.

"I know, you don't like to talk about the mechanics of this stuff. I know. I'm sorry, I forgot." He offered her an apologetic smile.

"It's okay," she assured him, smiling back. "Hey, I should actually probably be getting back to my house and starting on dinner. Have you had enough?"

Adam cocked his head. "I was really hoping they'd do the quintessential school dance song, but—"

And then Mr. Brightside started, and the thong of students screamed.

"There it is!" Adam exclaimed. "Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear!"

"Okay, never you mind, my dear Adam," Mira shouted, taking his hand and dragging him toward the center of the dance floor. "One more."

It was nice—being like this with Mira. She'd been stuck in her head often lately, dreading the implications of their life sentence. _Hollow Life_ certainly had some nice amenities, but it was no resort. It was a prison, and it seemed they'd never be able to leave.

Mira had been adjusting to that reality fine until she'd been forced to confront the reality that her parents were lines of code—not in the way that they'd _all_ had to confront that fact, in a more personal way, a more jarring way, a more traumatizing way. Since then, she hadn't been herself.

It was nice to just have a good time with his best friend again. To forget all that. To forget the scary things they couldn't control.

To just be kids at a school dance—no dragons or ice monsters or anything.

It was over too fast, though, and they were at Mira's house too fast. She lived close to the school, but he still hadn't been ready to say goodbye to her that soon.

"Hey, Happy Valentine's Day, Mira," he said, pulling her in for a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, nodding against him. "Of course. And even a boy _finally_ realizes how dateable you are, I will always still be your first Valentine."

Adam laughed. "And don't you forget it," he replied, squeezing her.

* * *

"Why are you all dressed up?" Kai asked, narrowing his eyes at Adam before shaking his head and clearing his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean it in a rude way, I just... I was, uh, curious."

Adam laughed.

Kai liked it when Adam laughed, a fact which his brain had been increasingly determined to scream at him lately, a fact which he always insisted he _knew_ already, so why was his brain reminding him _ten times a day—_

"I came right from the dance," Adam murmured, interrupting Kai's thoughts.

Kai began his ascent up the stairs, beckoning for Adam to follow.

He shut his bedroom door—he was used to doing that whenever he went into his room; he was used to argumentative, screaming parents—and raised an eyebrow at Adam. "Really? I thought you had some other friend to see first."

"Oh, right!" Adam exclaimed, shaking his head, grinning, somehow making it so Kai couldn't breathe. "You were the other friend, actually. I wasn't _sure_ I'd visit you because I didn't want to bother you, and I wanted it to be a surprise if I did."

Kai felt his fingers go all fuzzy, and what was happening, and he probably looked ridiculous just silently standing there, and—

"Oh," he forced himself to say. "How would you bother me?" he asked. "I'm alone on Valentine's Day."

"I thought you said you had plans," Adam supplied, raising an eyebrow just as Kai had.

"I wasn't entirely truthful either," Kai admitted, scarlet dusting his cheeks as he turned away, a small smile gracing his lips. "I am alone on Valentine's Day because I am lame, and I lied because I am too lame to even admit it."

"I didn't tell the full truth; you straight-up lied," Adam chided, laughing.

"Ugh, I don't know why I told you," grinning despite himself because Adam was laughing and that meant everything was okay.

"You seem to tell me a lot of things you don't tell most people," Adam mentioned. "Sorry, I've just noticed that. I appreciate it. It makes me feel special!"

Two halves of Kai's mind fought for dominance. The cheesier half won out. "You _are_ special," he said. "I feel like you'll never judge me."

Adam placed a hand on his shoulder, and— _what are you doing, Adam, what are you **doing,** how are you making me dizzy just by doing that, **brain, brain, what is happening right now—**_

"Kai, I'm so sorry you worry about that so much," Adam murmured, shaking his head. "It breaks my heart. None of us would, like, think you're lame for being alone on Valentine's Day. We're not like that. But I'm flattered you at least feel like you can trust me."

"I—uh, I do," Kai managed, trying his best to offer a casual grin but fearing he just looked nauseated.

"Well, again, I appreciate that," Adam declared, grinning confidently. "But wait—why would you being alone even be shameful? It's not like any of us are dating anyone. Besides, we'd only be hanging out with each other anyway. We're the only five people here with this level of self-awareness."

Kai bit his lip. "Well... Yeah, I know, but... Even if not _romantically,_ everyone kinda has... Pairs. You and Mira have been best friends forever... Reeve and Vanessa spend so much time together... I just feel like the fifth wheel sometimes," he admitted. "Sorry, that's whiny—"

"No, it's not!" Adam assured him, pulling him into a hug.

_Oh my god, brain, Kai, what are you doing, why are you not breathing, why is, **face, so hot, oh my god, what's—**_

"What you're feeling is not whiny," Adam continued, squeezing him and pulling away but keeping a hand on his shoulder. "But it _is_ wrong. It's okay to be afraid of being left behind or unwanted, but that's not something you have to think about with this group. We're the only people in this world who get each other, right? We're going to stick together! And besides... If you feel like you're not _specifically_ special to anyone in the group, that's wrong. Mira and I care so much about you, Kai. I know we've known each other for longer than we've known you, but that's the only reason we spend more time together. You're just as important to the balance of this team, and you're just as important to us, and I'm _so sorry_ if we ever made you feel like you aren't. But we've got your back, forever and always. Okay? I _promise._ We need you around to tell your jokes, anyway!"

Kai was stunned. He was speechless, breathless, _clueless_ as to how to respond. His mouth was hanging agape; he was _sure_ he looked ridiculous; he was screaming at himself to think of something, to remember how to breathe, to do _anything_ to make this less awkward—

"Oh, I'm sorry," Adam muttered, backing away. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable... Or like... Get too close, or—"

Kai let his impulses guide him and surged toward Adam, wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you," he managed to force out. "Thank you."

Adam sighed in what must have been relief next to his ear. "I'm glad you appreciated it."

"Hey, shut up about all that stuff, okay?" Kai murmured. "I'm never gonna be weirded out by you, okay? Your friends who were touchy about that stuff were just _jerks,_ and I'm so, so sorry you consider that normal now. I know, uh, I know anxiety is, like.... I know you can't just, like, tell it it's being stupid and needs to go away, but... It _is_ being stupid. And it _does_ need to go away."

Adam hugged him back, and Kai tried not to faint—he was so warm; he was so _stable,_ something Kai had never been.

"That's really considerate of you, Kai. Thank you. Maybe we need to be tell-each-other's-anxiety-to-fuck-off buddies," Adam suggested, snorting.

Kai pulled away. "Okay, unironically, _yes."_

"Hey, who would I have been seeing other than one of you four anyway?" Adam asked. "Sorry, I know, odd moment to ask. I've been wondering, though."

"I don't know!" Kai exclaimed, laughing. "I guess you're right. I thought maybe you had some virtual boyfriend now."

Adam snorted, shaking his head. "I don't think I could do that here... Where everyone's—you know. It'd be like a glorified dating sim."

Kai laughed again. He was laughing a lot. Adam was funny. Like, _really_ funny.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "Me neither."

They fell silent. Adam cleared his throat and looked at the ceiling, crossing his arms. When Kai tried to look into his eyes, he avoided his glance.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked. "You good? We were having fun, and then..."

"I came to ask _you_ that!" Adam blurted, laughing nervously and scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I just... That's actually why I visited you. I... Felt like you've been really sad lately. I just wanted to check in, I guess."

 _Oh, no,_ Kai thought. _Now, **this** __is a bit more embarrassing._

"Uh... It's really stupid," he said, waving his hand and laughing sharply—bitterly, almost.

"Kai," Adam chided. "I'm sure it's not stupid. Your feelings aren't stupid, okay?"

Kai sighed, shaking his head. "Thanks. I don't know _why_ I'm about to tell you this, but..."

"Because you know I'll be relentless if you don't," Adam supplied, snorting.

"Actually, you usually aren't, which is what's so nice, but—" Kai interrupted himself to shake his head again, giggling nervously. "Sorry. Right. I was about to tell you. Well... I just—don't let me down, okay? Don't judge me for this," he murmured, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Kai," Adam said, his voice just barely above a whisper. "Of course."

"Okay, well, I just—I didn't like that I was alone on Valentine's Day," Kai said, spitting the last few words out to make sure they actually made it into the air before he changed his mind.

"Kai, I already said—" Adam began.

"No, like, romantically," Kai muttered, shrinking.

 _"Oh,"_ intoned Adam.

"Yeah."

"I see."

"Yeah."

"Well, hey, I'm alone in that sense," Adam told him. "And so is Mira. And, as far as I'm aware, so are Vanessa and Reeve. To be honest, I don't really think _any_ of us are willing to date computer programs."

Kai giggled despite the moisture welling up in his eyes. "I know... But your most recent romantic relationship didn't almost cost your friends the championship title in a game they've spent months training to win."

Adam deflated. "Kai, we've been over this... That wasn't your fault."

Kai laughed. "Hey, it kind of was, and that's okay," he conceded. "I was being ridiculous."

The corners of Adam's lips turned up. "Yeah, okay, a bit. But love makes people do silly things. And so do little crushes. That's not something you should feel ashamed about."

"I know, I know," Kai muttered. "But I never really had much success in that department in the real world... And Vanessa was just using me, so... I don't know. It's just... After you spend enough Valentine's Days alone, you start to think that'll just be the norm."

"Hey," Adam declared, offering him a warm smile. "You are a creative, hilarious, heartfelt, intelligent, and brave person. I'm sorry no one you like has seen that yet. But... Trust me. Someday, someone will."

Kai swallowed, his mouth going dry as a desert in a split second. "Thanks... Thanks, Adam. That means a lot to hear you say. Thank you."

"No problem. It's the truth," Adam assured him. "Kai, don't worry about that stuff. That stuff can take time. Trust me. Just be patient. Just like you're unattached, all of us are too. And that's okay! Sometimes... It just takes more time. But love always comes to those who want love. Trust me. Someday, you will have it. That's a promise."

Kai's stomach had flipped over seven times in the last three minutes, and he was beginning to think this whole Adam thing wasn't just a fluke, that there was a _concrete_ reason that this kept happening and would keep happening—

But he had to respond to what Adam had said! He couldn't leave such a compassionate statement hanging on its own.

"Thank you, Adam... That means a lot to me. Since I don't have, you know, parents around to tell me that or anything."

Adam nodded, biting his lip and bowing his head. "I'm sorry you have to rely on me for that. But I'm glad I can help," he said, his grin returning as he raised his face.

"Me too," Kai murmured. "And—and the same goes for you. Someday, Adam!"

Adam just laughed, and— _wow,_ he was laughing _loudly!_ To think Kai had done that to him, had made him laugh like that, like he made _him_ laugh all the time... It felt nice.

Really, really nice.

"Coming to check on me was super sweet, so you've got the kindness portion figured out," he observed. "And you clean up pretty nice too!" he exclaimed, laughing and gesturing at the suit jacket and dress shirt Adam was sporting, which actually _did_ look really nice, and Kai had to admit that the only word that came to his mind was _handsome._ "I like the tie," he mentioned, flipping a bit of the deep blue fabric with his finger, giggling. "It's a good color on you."

Adam went a bit pink at that, which was also a good color on him, and Kai kind of thought it was cute—but, like, in a friendly way.

Obviously.

"Thanks."

"Thank _you_ for helping with my FOMO—again," Kai murmured. "I'm realizing this as the same as all the Pride stuff. It's literally just FOMO, which is silly."

"FOMO?" Adam asked, chuckling. "Do you really feel like you're missing out on Valentine's Day just because you don't have a Valentine? You can still celebrate it, you know!"

"Yeah, I know..." Kai conceded, giggling. "I guess I just wanted the full experience, you know? I just want to be able to say I had a Valentine for... Stupid insecurity reasons."

"I could be your _platonic_ Valentine if that would make you feel better," Adam suggested.

Kai's knees almost buckled.

Why did his knees almost buckle?!

Adam was just so kind, so giving, so caring—

"You're already Mira's!" he protested, laughing, laughing too hard, trying too hard to keep up the façade that he was _not_ about to faint for reasons he wasn't sure he'd ever understand—maybe he'd ask Adam someday; Adam _always_ knew how to solve problems and gave great advice.

"There's more than enough of me to go around," Adam returned, chuckling. "I've already spent time with her, and she's busy now—So... I'm free for the rest of the night."

Kai's fingertips were kind of numb.

"Um... Al—alright. B—but my Valentine has to stay the night and let me kick his ass in Mario Kart!" Kai exclaimed. "Are you still interested?"

"Oh, Kai," Adam said, shaking his head, grinning powerfully enough to nearly knock Kai over yet again. "I'm going to _destroy_ you."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Happy Valentine's Day to every last Kaidam shipper who just wants these two to kiss already~! <3


End file.
